Meanwhile, with the Mouse…

Love those Seventies theme park graphics!

Fans of the Mouse and all the related interests always seem to have something to catch their attention. This summer is no different with plenty going on throughout. Depending upon who you choose to get your information from, there’s a never ending stream of content. YouTube is filled to overflowing with all kinds of producers sharing views of anything and everything Disney.

Not that this is necessarily a bad thing. It’s that firehose blast kind of thing. Coming as fast as you can watch. A real melange of everything from reviews of food, beverages, and merchandise to live streams to hints on your best strategy to maximize your theme park misadventures. I’ve seen a fair amount of it, and while the content is amusing, some of the content providers take the whole thing far too seriously.

Call me old fashioned but I prefer unvarnished streaming. Without the running commentary that borders on inane. Just give me the simple audio and video. Sharing that puts the audience there virtually. And that should be your goal in live streaming content.

Another big concern expressed online by the faithful involves non on property hotel guests using the transportation system at Walt Disney World to move between the variety of experiences. It seems that guests trying to use these vehicles found delays and placed the blame on others. Specifically, it seems there are too many people who park at Disney Springs and travel about. Disney’s response to the issue is to exclude these folks from using the system. Seems a bit shortsighted to discourage guests from spending about the properties. More to come as things develop.

Out west, Disneyland has once again changed rules related to guests pin trading in the parks. No longer can you bring pins in mass quantities past into the parks. I frankly never understood how this came to be. And often, these “pin sharks” rarely trade one for one. Some want multiple pins for a single pin. I have even been asked to purchase a brand new pin to trade for an older one I desired. That request bordered on the comical. While I have a fair collection of Disney pins, they represent the experience and the people that I shared it with. Much more important to me than the cash value someone sets arbitrarily based on what they saw someone pay online for it.

When it comes to trading, I always have a few unusual pins just in case. Trading with other guests, children especially, should be a social moment, not a mere transactional one.

Something that tends to be the cause of concern is limited edition merchandise of all kinds. I get that the company doesn’t want to be stuck with an oversupply of unsold items but it seems that once something sells out, that’s it. No extra edition or another run of product. Maybe a return to consumer advisory panels is in order to find out what guests are interested in purchasing and at what price point? Feedback can be a good thing.

Say what you want about the folks behind the Mouse. They are always looking for new ways to get us to part with our disposable income. Stockholders like that. The bottom line is important to a business. That’s something that often is overlooked when it comes to entertainment.

As an organization, Disney set an example that others follow. They have learned what works for guests and what doesn’t. Sometimes, that’s not always easy. Occasionally, there’s a bit of a stumble. And even a flop, too.

As fans, we may not always agree or love every decision. But thankfully we do get opportunities to choose what we want to experience. Sharing those experiences is what it’s all about. Right back to Walt himself. Not a bad idea, actually.